Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be back in Malta today for a four-day State visit that will coincide with the holding of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting later on this week.
As head of this organisation, the highlight of Her Majesty’s visit will be opening the event on Friday at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in the presence of most of the Commonwealth heads of state.
The CHOGM is yet another historic event that will once again put Malta in the limelight for all the world, at least for the 53 Commonwealth countries. Although it will not have the political importance of the George Bush-Mikhail Gorbachev summit, held in Malta in 1989 and which practically brought the Cold War to an end, CHOGM still carries great weight.
From an organisational point of view, it is probably a much bigger headache.
It will be the first time that Malta has hosted so many heads of state at the same time. And, apart from CHOGM itself, there are other Commonwealth-related meetings that are being held simultaneously and which have stretched our resources to the limit.
The youth, people and business fora that are being held in separate locations are all different initiatives that will converge onto the actual CHOGM sessions to be held between Friday and Sunday.
It is a momentous occasion for this little island of ours. Preparations for the CHOGM have been long and strenuous, but now Malta will be reaping the fruit of its endeavours. It is hoped that the CHOGM will have a positive ripple effect – and by this we mean more foreign investment that would be so beneficial to the country’s economy.
On the lighter side, it is also hoped that the weather will not play any tricks as it did in 1989, when a three-day storm hit Malta at the time the American and Russian presidents were ironing out the last details of their agreement.
Many will remember that the “sunny Malta” image that we rightly project was washed away, as footage shown all over the world picked up the effects of the heavy rain and the strong winds.
We should all be keeping our fingers crossed this time round.
Queen Elizabeth’s visit will also rekindle her deep connections with Malta – a country in which she lived for a while before she ascended to the throne – and, in the words of British High Commissioner Vincent Fean, demonstrate “the natural partnership” that exists between the two countries. Malta and Britain enjoy strong relations and the Queen’s presence in Malta will certainly make them better.
This will be Queen Elizabeth’s fourth official visit to Malta as head of state, and her first since 1992. As usual, Prince Philip will be accompanying her.
As expected, her programme will be packed with meetings and visits.
Apart from meeting dignitaries, Her Majesty has made a point of also meeting schoolchildren, as she has done on previous visits to the country.
Today, people in their 60s have vivid memories of seeing the Queen as schoolchildren when she was here for the first time as Queen in 1954.
The 2,500 boys and girls, chosen from different schools, who will have the chance to meet Her Majesty tomorrow at the Cottonera Sports Complex, will also be treasuring this day in the years to come.
The way the Maltese people responded to the arrival of the HMS Illustrious in Grand Harbour on Monday – with hundreds lining the bastions waving British and Maltese flags – is a clear indication of the warm welcome Her Majesty will be receiving in Malta this afternoon and during the whole of her stay.